Rebellion against resilience? The experience of women entrepreneurs in the context of poly-crisis

Abstract

Utilising a qualitative approach, this article draws on the experiences of 20 women entrepreneurs operating in a constrained context who were already adapting to ongoing adversity when an acute disaster, the 2020 Beirut blast, occurred. The article expands the study of entrepreneurial resilience under prolonged adversity to reveal new insights on resilience fatigue, rebellion against resilience, and entrepreneurial rebellion. The findings indicate that in the context of poly-crisis marked by a lack of governmental and external support amid an acute event, established women entrepreneurs can act as change agents, transforming negative feelings of prolonged frustration, mistrust, hopelessness and denial into rebellion against the dysfunctional system. In so doing, they create transformational opportunities that enable their businesses and the surrounding ecosystem to thrive and flourish.